Panasonic TH-42PZ800B

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'''APPEARANCE'''
Panasonic call this design 'one sheet of glass' and boy you can really appreciate it when you place it on the purpose built stand, where it appears extremely thin. For this purpose, it can go flat against the wall if need be, making it look like a stunning decoration piece as well as a TV.

One of the key features of this Plasma TV, is that you can play HD images directly from an SD card reader built ...
...pictures will become. Panasonic also claim a dynamic contrast of over 1,000 000: 1, which I personally do not fully understand how this is achieved but hey, the picture on the TV speaks for itself.
'''3. _INTELLIGENT FRAME CREATION AND V-REAL PRO-3_''' : Vreal 3 is an onboard processor which primarily is concerned with the display perfomance, not allowing colours to be comprimised during motion. Intelligent frame creation then adds addition ... more

When looking for TV's these days, it helps to have research done as what the TV's are all about these days, what you get for your money, and how technically minded you are,

Today, you either get Plasma or LCD with most of the old Cathode Ray Tubes(CRTs) phased out.

One such model is PZ800B model 42 inch made by Panasonic. This range of TV is claimed to be the top of the award winning VIERA range from Panasonic. If you do not want to comprimise on quality, then believe this is the TV you want to go for.

SIZE
This model is 42 inch and also available in 50 inch. So when choosing any TV, make sure it fits! Unless of course you hang with a wall bracket on the wall.

APPEARANCE
Panasonic call this design 'one sheet of glass' and boy you can really appreciate it when you place it on the purpose built stand, where it appears extremely thin. For this purpose, it can go flat against the wall if need be, making it look like a stunning decoration piece as well as a TV.

One of the key features of this Plasma TV, is that you can play HD images directly from an SD card reader built in. So if you have full HD on a card, you can easily reproduce this.

FULL HD 1080p
One thing in all TV's to be noted is the difference between FULL HD 1080p and HD ready and upscaling. True HD is 1080p, HD ready is 720p upscaled to 1080i. But you can never get the same quality. This TV, comes with full HD 1080p capabilities, suitable for watching Blue-ray or true HD 1080p broadcasts at the peak quality.

Now, having said that, plug in a blu-ray disc player, connect HDMI to one of the 4 HDMI sockets and the Blu Ray, play a saharan documentary - you have to see it to believe it. The TV completely comes to life in your living room. Its colours are truly amazing and the depth and clarity of the pictures are just astounding. As mentioned, part of the reason is HD 1080p and HDMI, but let me explain some other features which recreate such pictures.

1. _100Hz Scan_ - this is late in plasmas, but arrived and it reduces the flicker as apparent in the standard 50Hz TV's
2. _30 000: 1 contrast Ratio_ -- This figure is the test figure of how your blacks are really blacks. The higher the ratio, the clearer and more natural the pictures will become. Panasonic also claim a dynamic contrast of over 1,000 000: 1, which I personally do not fully understand how this is achieved but hey, the picture on the TV speaks for itself.
3. _INTELLIGENT FRAME CREATION AND V-REAL PRO-3_ : Vreal 3 is an onboard processor which primarily is concerned with the display perfomance, not allowing colours to be comprimised during motion. Intelligent frame creation then adds addition frames in between the original frames creating an extremely smooth and soft effect, giving a natural aurora in the pictures. Lost?? Yep, the above is rather technical, but simply put the reproduction of pictures is further enhanced by the above technology.

4. _XV COLOUR_- Ok, you may get confused here. This is to do with Digital Cinema and the colours needed to reproduce cinema quality. Hence, it produces 120% of the colours needed as per standard HDTV. The result is amazing motion, movie pictures. Skip this if too complicated.

5. _24p CINEMA_- - This TV further enhances movies playback by reproducing cinema 'real' pictures.

Other Features :
- SDHC Card Networkability
- V-AUDIO Surround Sound with SRST Trusound XT
- Eco Mode
- VIERA Link and Tough Panel
- Pedestal
- Cabinet or Wall bracket optional
- 4 HDMI sockets

All in all - there is alot of technical info to be learned when purchasing modern televisions, and I would reccomend you do your research before you delve into buying a plasma. This particular model is all about quality, spend a bit more and you get a TV which is most definately state of the art.

Operation of the TV is pretty much straightforward, you follow either the manual or onscreen for setup and preferences. If you have a larger room, you may want to go for the 50inch model.

But remember, to have such a high quality TV, you have pay and they start from £1100 pounds just for the TV. When you start put in the extras (needed for optimal HD experience) eg HDMI cables, bluray, stands, cinema sound, your budget will go well over £1600. However, we tried both Comet and Curry's and both were willing to knock down package price by well of £150.

This TV is a brilliant TV, one of the best items ever used by me. We now really enjoy watching TV on the larger screen.

HD AVAILABILITY

Oh yes, one thing I forgot to mention. Most channels are not available on HD, and if they are most of them (SKY HD and Virgin) are on 1080i. You will of course notice a better picture, but after paying for a SKY HD box and then a monthly subscription, you think is it really worth it, especially when compared to the Bluray output.quality.

However, the beauty of the Panasonic Viera range over other models such as the Samsung and Sony, is the fact that normal SKY or teressterial broadcasts are not significantly poorer than the CRT counterparts. Other than the Pioneer range, there was not many TV''s which could reproduce standard output broadcasts, clearly and sharply considering most of the broadcasts are still in the old format.

The Panasonic model, whilst you can note the picture struggling due it being blown up, nevetheless gave a clearer and sharper image for Sky standard channels/

RECOMENDATION??

Most definitely - if quality is what you want, money is not an issue, this is the one you want. The TV is briliant, the availability of picture quality to match is limited and you get poor picture for normal TV. 

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